Death Is Our Gift

XVII

"Ghost Stories"

October brought with it all the cold and damp that England could produce. The castle walls did keep out the bulk of the chill, but all the students were thankful for having heavy robes to wear between classes. The school was still abuzz about Gryffindor's newest beaters - the Bash Brothers. Some were saying they could even rival the Weasley twins.

As October wore on, many students looked to the Halloween holiday. But Liam had other, less known holidays in mind. He came into the Great Hall a week before Halloween and sat at the Gryffindor table with Sarah and Lex.

"Hey Sarah, gotta question?"

"If it's on the proper use of the English language," replied the red head, "I'm afraid I can't help."

"Funny," said Liam with a smirk. "But seriously - if you want to send someone an owl, how do you do it?"

"You've been here how long and you haven't sent an owl?" asked Lex.

"Only to Dawn & Xander, but that bird only goes to them and back. Seriously, how do you do it?"

Sarah looked at Liam. "Who are you sending it to?"

"Secret," said Liam. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "You just write the letter like usual, then address the envelope to where you want it delivered."

"So, if I wanted to send myself a letter, I'd write 'Liam Summers - Hogwarts'?"

"Or you could say, 'American Prat - Great Hall - Hogwarts'. It would get to you."

"So as much information as I know, right?"

Sarah nodded. "The more information, the better for the owl."

Liam jumped up. "Thanks." He headed out of the hall, as Ash was coming into the hall. "Need you," said Liam as he grabbed Ash's robe.

"Hungry now," said Ash. "Need later."

"Need now," said Liam. "Food later." With that the two, one being dragged, left the Great Hall.

The girls looked at the exchange and just shook their heads. "Why do we associate with him again?" asked Sarah.

"He's cute?" replied Lex.

Sarah gave Lex a disgusted look and went back to her Charms homework.

*****

The train pulled into Hogsmeade station, as it did twice every day. As the people disembarked, some to shop and others returning home from a day or week or sometimes a month or more away, two men disembarked from the train and headed towards Hogwarts.

"We should have owled," said Remus Lupin, pulling his cloak tighter around him.

Sirius Black just looked at the castle. "He said to drop by any time and this is as any a time as possible."

"Padfoot, you should one day look into some manners."

Sirius grinned his wicked grin. "But then I wouldn't be me, now would I?"

The two exchanged banter back and forth until they reached the castle doors. They knocked on the door and the doors swung open. They walked in and looked around the entry hall. Both remember vividly the first time they came here, as young first-year students. Even now, they still held a warm place in their hearts for those old days.

They took one of the staircases up to the second floor and made their way to the DADA classrooms and Harry's office. They could hear Harry speaking from one of the classrooms and slowly opened the door and entered. Harry was at the front of the class, teaching what appeared to be first year students disarming charms.

"Isn't that something they teach in second year?" asked Sirius to Remus.

"I taught them to my second years," said Remus, "but only because of that twit Lockhart."

"Remind me when we get back to London to visit him," said Sirius. "I'll pretend to be a long lost uncle or something."

Remus shook his head as the buzzer sounded. Harry spoke up to the class - "Practice your disarming charms this week, but only on your housemates and in your own dorms. Anyone caught not following those steps will be given to Filch for a detention of his choosing." Harry grinned wickedly at the class. "Dismissed."

The students began to file out of class. Joshua, Sarah, and Liam stopped when they saw the two Marauders at the back of the class.

"Well well," said Sirius, "young Malfoy, Weasley, and Summers - eager minds absorbing the knowledge imparted from a man who wouldn't have got through school with Hermione."

Remus looked at Ash and a concern looked crossed his face. "And who are your friends?"

"This is Ash and Lex," said Liam, noticing the concern. "They're our friends."

Harry came from the front of the class to see the exchange. "Sirius, Remus - good to see you."

"Speaking of which, when did you become Snivellus?" asked Sirius.

"When I realized that one must take this job very seriously," replied Harry. "No offense Remus."

Remus shifted his focus to Harry. "None taken."

"Lunch is getting cold guys," said Liam, grabbing Ash and walking out of the classroom. The others quickly followed, leaving the adults to themselves.

"What was that about?" asked Harry.

"There is something odd about him," said Remus.

"Ash?" asked Harry. "He's a good kid."

"Probably nothing," said Remus.

At lunch, all the students were excited to see the two Aurors announced as being guests of the school. What only a couple of the students was not as important, but still curious.

"Where are the ghosts?" asked Lex, looking around the hall.

"Huh?" asked Liam with a mouth full of potatoes.

"The ghosts aren't around," said Ash noticing the obvious. "Nearly Headless Nick is almost always around."

"Maybe a ghost meeting?" asked Liam.

"Most of the ghosts don't associate like that," said Sarah. "Though they do get together for certain-"

"We're not going to Nick's party," interrupted Liam. "Sorry, but ghosts creep me out."

"But it would be fun," said Lex.

"Then you two go," said Joshua. "Only dead people and those without lives will be there."

"I think it would be great," said Ash.

"I rest my case," said Joshua. Ash just glared at him.

"The ghosts are busy," said Liam, "doing the usual... ghosty things."

"I think we should go check on them," said Lex.

"They don't get the sniffles," said Joshua. "If they don't want to be around, they don't want to be around. It's like asking why you never see a house elf."

Liam rolled his eyes and went back to eating his food.

*****

In the Gryffindor common room, Liam and Lex played wizard's chess - a game that appealed to Lex's strategy and Liam's sense of destruction. Sarah and Ash were working on Potions homework and Joshua was reading through his latest Quidditch magazine. Then there was a scratching at the window. Ash looked to the window to see an owl sitting on the ledge, picking at the glass. In one of its talons was a letter.

"Anyone expecting mail?" asked Ash, getting up from the seat and walking to the window.

"Why would anyone be owling this late?" asked Sarah. "Must be a mistake."

Ash opened the window and in flew the owl. It made a circle once around the room, dropping the letter in Liam's lap, then out the window again. Everyone looked to Liam as he looked at the envelope.

Liam Summers

Gryffindor Common Room

DO NOT DELIVER UNTIL AFTER DINNER

"What's that about?" asked Joshua.

Liam smiled and opened the letter. "Alright!" he yelled.

"Alright what?" asked Lex.

"Listen," he said as he began to read aloud.

Dear Master Summers,

Yes, we did receive your post and we have heard you mentioned by Sarah as well as we had the pleasure of meeting your mother. It is good to see that you have made it to Hogwarts and have avoided trouble thus far-

"Who's it from?" asked Ash.

"Sarah's dad & uncle," said Liam.

"Why are they owling you?" asked Sarah.

"I'm getting there -

-avoided trouble thus far, though we are concerned with the proclamation that you and young Malfoy are to be better than us as Beaters. But, we shall see about settling that debate at a future time.

We have not heard of the holiday you described to us, but you were correct in assuming that it would peak our curiosity. We do not have the market-

"What holiday?" asked Lex.

"I'll tell you in a second," said Liam.

We do not have the market in the States that we had hoped for. We had heard of the April Fool's Day holiday, but to be honest we were looking for something a bit more mischievous to put our brand to. You sir, have found it. Though we do not have enough time to promote it properly there, we have decided to aid you this year in your attempts at mischief.

Expect a package delivered tomorrow evening. We have made arrangements with an old friend inside the castle who has agreed to deliver the package with the utmost discretion. We are including some of our best pranks, as well as some new things that have yet to be seen. Photographs would be nice, especially of said pranks being pulled on certain members of the staff.

But be warned - we have heard that Remus and Sirius are at the castle. Those two are the masters of the pranks and will not easily fall for anything. This is why we've included a few things for them, just in case you decided to try. Good luck and don't get caught.

Fred and George Weasley.

"Is that cool or what?!" said Liam jumping up.

"What the bloody hell are the three of you talking about?" asked Joshua.

"Okay," said Liam, "time to let you guys in on a great American tradition-"

"Baseball?" asked Ash.

"That's a past time," said Liam. "I am speaking of Devil's Night."

"Sounds dangerous," said Lex.

"It's not. It started in Michigan... which means nothing to you guys... but it started in another state. Xander would tell me about it. It's the night before Halloween when people pull all kinds of pranks and such. It's like April Fool's Day, but much much bigger."

"And you got my dad and uncle to sponsor this stupid idea," said Sarah.

"Sounds brilliant," said Joshua. "What can we do?"

"Well, my plan is to make this the biggest prank night. Better than anything anyone at this school has ever done."

"Uh... not to rain on your parade mate," said Ash, "but this sounds highly dangerous... especially for our house points."

"Which is why we're not going to get caught," said Liam. "Come on. It's going to be a blast."

"Liam," said Lex, "this really isn't a good idea."

"Come on! I need each of you for what I've got planned."

"Oh no," said Sarah. "I'm not getting dragged into another Wheeze."

"Wheeze?" asked Liam.

"When my dad and uncle pull a prank on someone, it's called a Wheeze."

"Then you have plenty of experience which I need."

"I'm in," said Joshua.

"I'm in too," said Ash. "Can't be any worse than Potions homework."

"Wrong," said Sarah. "Think about getting detention. Can you imagine what Dumbledore would do if you dropped some Canary Creme in his tea? He'd let Filch come up with the worst-"

"Dumbledore is safe," said Liam. "It's the students I want. Especially the Slytherins."

"Definitely count me in," said Lex. Sarah just glared at her.

"I'm surrounded by twits," said Sarah. "Absolutely bloody bonkers."

"So is that a yes?" asked Liam.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I guess since I'm the only one who knows how to use their stuff... but if I get detention for this I will make sure that something painful happens to you."

"If we get caught, something painful is going to happen to the lot of us," said Ash.

*****

Remus returned to their room to find Sirius in a place all too familiar - sitting in the window sill looking out over the night sky.

"Knut for your thought, old friend?" asked Remus.

"Not worth even that much," said Sirius as he turned to Remus.

"You knew they were not going to be happy with you being here," said Remus.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. "It's not them I'm worried about."

"Harry?"

Sirius nodded. "He's becoming far too dark. I can count on one hand all the times I've seen him happy since Ron died. I'm afraid being here isn't going to help matters."

"Harry is a grown man," said Remus. "He has led a life that few can imagine in their worst nightmares. Those kinds of things have an effect on someone."

"But could we have done something different?"

Remus sat at the foot of the bed and looked at Sirius. "We could have done a lot of things differently. But we didn't. Our actions are fixed in the past. But Harry's actions and reactions are why he's become this. I feel that even Lily and James couldn't bring him back from this."

"But I know someone who can," said Sirius.

"You can't go against his wishes, Padfoot. He doesn't want to see her."

"And I can't let him spiral out of control like this. I've been there before - the anger and hatred fill you up until there is nothing left. He's not there yet, but I fear he will be soon too far gone for anyone to reach him."

The werewolf shook his head. "All I can say is that you must respect his wishes, even if they don't make sense to either of us."

Sirius grinned a wolf-like grin. "Which is why I'm putting a young boy's wishes before a foolish hard-head man."

"Don't drag Liam into this," said Remus. "He has enough on his plate as well."

"Not dragging him into it, Moony. I'm just planting the seed for a very nice Christmas."